The COVID-019 pandemic has boosted use of disposable packaging and personal protective equipment, at the same time that many recycling programs are facing budget cuts. The upshot: More plastic trash.
Researchers unpack the vast impact of plastic on our society – from emerging health worries and pollution to recycling and plastic's contributions to modern convenience.
Over 99 percent of today’s plastics come from oil, but new bio-based options are becoming available.
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One big problem with plastics is that they're largely made of petroleum. Sourcing bio-polymers from plants and bacteria has some big benefits – and the technology is starting to take off.
Food packaging is one of the top uses for plastic in consumer goods.
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Bio-based plastics made from natural sources break down more easily than conventional plastic, without producing toxic byproducts. But for this to happen they have to be composted, not buried in landfills.
Single-use plastics are convenient, but it’s time to phase them out.
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China, which recycles much of the world's waste material, is slashing its scrap imports. This move could force the United States and Europe to boost recycling instead of shipping trash overseas.
Plastic pollution: discarded plastic bags are a hazard to marine life.
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Tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean each year, but a switch away from petroleum-based products to bio-derived and degradable composites could lessen marine pollution.
Consumers and makers of plastic products want plastic to biodegrade to minimize the environmental impact, but some additives don't live up to the claims.
Inside Boeing’s Dreamliner: tomorrow’s polymers today.
Jordan Tan
The New York World’s Fair of 1939-40 was one of the greatest expos the world had ever seen. Visitors to Flushing Meadow Park in Queens were invited to see the “world of tomorrow” giving them a first glimpse…